RR Oh oh Wipeout Emerald Beach 5km

This race report is a homage to  H.P Lovectaft

What evil course did the race directors have planned for today? What eldritch horrors awaited in the brooding headlands? What traps for young players were hiding amongst the mocking coastal shrubbery?

Bwahahahaha!

When I but glimpsed the drizzle outside the window this morning a chill of foreboding swept through me. My qualms were not stilled upon my arrival at Emerald beach.

A drizzly rain was already falling and having to park my car along way from the start did not still my disquiet. Most of Emerald Beach had been washed away in the recent storms. The elder gods were exacting their revenge on the feeble land.

Some market stalls were setting up marquees in the Emerald Beach reserve and I found some brief shelter under their flimsy canvas facades. The grass was already heavily quagmired. Registrations for this foolish folly called a fun run, were under the verandah of a house owned by one of the athletes. At least there was shelter there.

The race

The competitors lined up on the beach, false bravado on their pale coutenances.

Go!

The brave runners headed off into the dark uknown. Not unlike Tompkinson’s hopping race what would the toll be? How many would survive?

Across the beach, up a boat ramp, I lie back and think of England. Then up a boggy path, where 50 plus runners equaled an extreme bottleneck. 

I can hear the screams and see the fresh tears running down the cheeks of those who were laughing nonchalantly just moments before.

The grassy hell goes for on for only 200 metres, but feels like all eternity. Then the race alighted onto a road. Down the hill at breakneck speed I hop on my one good leg. I work my way up a few places.

Down some steps. I love steps! Along a coastal footpath.

Haha! I saw the eroded section just before approaching the beach. I did not fall into its trap and trip. Out onto the beach we go. The beach is mostly gravel. Last year it was mostly sand. The recent storms have carved a new face on the coastline.  

I’m keeping up with a 10km runner who beat me by almost four minutes last week. There is a young gun runner, who I know goes well, and another fellow in his twenties.

Climbing some more steps we ascend onto Look at me now Headland.

1km 5:13. So ends the first kilometre, which seems to been several lifetimes long. I do not heed the cries for help of the runners behind me who have lost the battle and succumbed to the horrors lurking in the sand.

At the top of the hill, I open my stride up a little.

The angry ocean throws wind and rain into my side throwing me off balance. I chuckle wanly at its feeble attempts to beat me. I go past one poor chap who is starting to struggle a bit.

2km 4.18

Back through the Moonee Beach car park, down along a muddy, grassy path. A few meat-eating Kangaroos lurk ready to pounce. Cowardly beasts that feed only on the young and weak.

You will not be feeding on me this day, I scream hoarsely.

Up a coastal walking path out onto the road. The leading 5 and 10km runners start coming back the other way. I wish them hearty good luck.

I see the horrid visions recently witnessed, lurking behind the eyes of the leading 10km runner.

 Lap 1. Down the slippery, muddy, grassy slope and then back up the other side. I have a good lead on those coming behind.

3km 5:13

Back down the road, across the coastal path, onto the beach. I catch up to the little gun runner. He’s only 10, but you can see he’s going to be good, if he sticks at it. I may as well take the chance to beat him today, because in a few short years he’ll be beating me by minutes.

Up onto the headland, embracing the cold wind the rain and the salt spray. Through the car park, down the muddy path, along the coastal footpath onto the road. I build a bit of a lead on the young gun.

4km 4:33

Then I alight on the steep grassy, muddy hill. Down I slide on the single file trail that has been carved up by the footsteps of hundreds of runners.

Young gun is hot on my hammer.

“This is dangeorus.” I say to myself.

A small trail turns sharply onto a larger one.

Oh oh Wipeout!!!! I slip and slide and somehow hold my balance.

Down the boat ramp; there is going to be a sprint. Me and the young gun.

Like two gunslingers facing the moment of truth.

I sprint. The crowd cheers.

I out sprint young gun by a second or two.

I know I will not be so lucky next time.

I finish the 4.6km in 22.29.

I survive.

The young gun is a top runner, he doesn’t need any favours from me. I’m in a race, I go hard, so did he.   

I congratulate the young gun. I better enjoy the win, because he will be running minutes faster than me very soon.

Nice running

Some little children came up to me and said “nice running” as I did my 8km around the Hockey field.

I gave them a surfy gnarly dude hand sign and said ’thanks.”

Felt pretty fresh today. I feel like I’m gliding more as I run. Lately, I’ve been able to warm into the running much more easily, there is less achilles pain.

8km 39.29 (5:30,  5:01, 4:56, 4:51, 4:45, 4:52, 4:44, 4:49) @4:56/km

Toight

Tempos hurt. You heard it here first.

Several times during my tempo run this morning I said “This hurts, I’m not enjoying this. I don’t want to do this again in a hurry.”

A little voice kept chiming. “Go easy it’s only a tempo run.”

Another voice countered with. “Make it hurt.”

I went with the second voice and made it hurt. And now I’m finished I’m happy as Barry.

8km (39.39) (5.56, 5.36, 4.13, 4.19, 4.15, 4.14, 4.06, 6.20)

5km tempo 21.07.32  @ 4.13/km

Rosella have you come to take me to a better place?

 Apparently Mizan Mehari dreamt that a Rosella had come to him to lead him to a better place. Running was Mizan Mehari’s favourite dance, but his body wouldn’t let him do it.  He was an Ethiopian athlete who sought asylum in Australia, and even competed in the Sydney Olympics. Tragically he never was able to get used to life in hi new country, and injuries stopped him from running that wat he would like to. A Rosella never led him to a better place, he took his life.

He suffered from depression.

I remember when a discussion on his passing was posted on the Cool Running forum and being really moved by the imagery of the Rosella. His story is again in this months R4YL magazine.

http://www.gofundraise.com.au/Paul_Sheringham

I will be running this years Bridge Run in Sydney for a cause: the black dog institute. If you would like to donate or sponsor me in this race that would be great. Above is my fundraising page for the Bridge Fun Run.

Regards Quinkin

Swoit

I did my second 20km run this morning  and it went quite well. It was three minutes faster than my last 20ker.

20km (12.5 miles) 1 hour 47.36 (6.11, 5.28, 5.19, 5.14, 5.19 (27.30), 5.12, 5.16, 5.27, 5.41, 5.24 (27.00), 5.37, 5.22, 5.09, 5.15, 5.14 (26.37), 5.17, 5.15, 5.19, 5.32, 5.06 (26.39) @ 5.23/km 8.37/mile

 

Have been trying to ring my father to see how he is going, but there is no answer on his phone. No news from my sister so I suppose he is still at the hostel.

My father just called, which was a relief. Sounds as if he is going reasonably well all things considered. He just doesn’t hear the phone.

Noice

I got a 12km run in this morning with some noice shiny numbers.

12km (7.5 miles) 58.23 (5.31, 5.09, 4.54, 4.59, 4.53, 4.55, 4.40, 4.47, 4.56, 4.43, 4.39, 4.21) @ 4.53/km 7.47/mile

Momentum just kind of built. I was looking at some of the km splits on Garmin with a big grin on my face. Last 10km was 47.28, last 5km 23.26.

Doing the walk of life

Without my knee taped.

I only need the tape to run now. That’s a big step forward. I never thought I’d get there.  A lot of hard work.

I still can’t stop. All day at work I exercise my quads. I’m so close to getting my life back to normal. Now I am so close I probably feel more nervous and impatient.

The good thing is that when I am 100% better, maybe what I’ve been through will become a more distant memory.

Maybe then the knee injury emphasis of this blog will have run its course? I have read over some of the older posts on here, and they aren’t easy to relive.

RR Heritage Park Road Run 10km

This race was held on the roads and cul de sacs of the Heritage Park Estate. Heritage Park is a rural residenttial subdivision just to the north of Coffs Harbour, near Moonee Beach.

No stairs, no steps, no ditches full of mud, no steep pinches of loose gravel. Just the sanity of a no frills flat out road run. Thank you!

It is overcast, but the rain and wind have settled down. The conditions are quite pleasant.

The race.I start on the second row of the grid, and work up into a steady pace. It is a combined 5km and 10km race.

 

The leaders get away. I settle down to race with a guy in a blue singlet and cap and another chap with a white singlet and a cap. I figure these guys are doing the 10km, and I want to stay with them so I don’t get lost.

We go into a cul de sac, and I see the 5kers and leading 10kers coming back the other way. A couple of big Eastern Grey Kangaroos are hopping around on the lawns of the 1 hectare rural homes.

1st km 4:11

The race turns right into another cul de sac and then to end for another 180 turn. Blue singlet keeps just ahead of me, he actually cuts to corners by running on the grass, I keep to the road. White singlet trades the lead with me, he goes past on the hills and I go past on the downhills.

The 5kers peel off to the left, and the 10kers back off to the right, back along Heritage Drive.

2nd km 4:21.

3rd km 4:29

The cul de sacs have nasty little hills in them that require hard work.

Back on the main road. Blue singlet has built up a lead, White singlet is falling behind. Another fellow comes up from behind, goes past and chases after blue singlet.

I’m about 8th out of the 10km runners.

4km 4:27

The 5km mark is during a very hilly cul de sac. I can see the first lady runner she is probably less than 150 metres behind and gaining. I have dropped white singlet behind.  

5km 4:55. 22.23

I try to tell myself to focus on the runner ahead, not worry about who is behind.

We head back onto Heritage Drive for a kilometre or so.

6km 4:43

7km 4:37

I’m not confident of breaking 46 minutes now. My 5km is 20 seconds slower than the 45.45 I did in Perth. Into the last cul de sac, which is the shortest of the lot and then out to the end of Heritage Drive

8km 4:40

It is a long drag back along Heritage Drive and I’m trying to dig deep but it is getting hard.

9km 5:02

The first lady runner catches me and tries to build a lead. I move in behind and try to not let her get away. I see the final corner and I plan to sprint as soon as I turn into the final straight.

I move around the lady runner and sprint for it. I go past her and I sprint hard for the line.

I feel like a 20 year old again. The people on the line say good run Paul.

I finish in 45:17. I did the last 910 metres in 3:53. The Garmin says 9.91. Close enough to 10km I reckon. I would’ve like to have gone sub 45. 

But I’m happy enough to get a masters PR, and to know that with a finish like that there will still be improvement in me. 

I congratulate the first lady runner, she ran well, and it was good that we pushed each other so hard that last kilometre.

Shredder

 

The cycle path was covered with a layer of branches, leaves, pine cones, and sticks. The howling wind of the last two days had shredded the caopy of trees that form a wind break on eastern side of the path.

Finished up running 42 minutes for the 8km.

8km 42:00 (5:57, 5:13, 5:04, 5;16, 5;13, 5:05, 5:02, 5:10).

Some of those kms aren’t too shabby considering I was concentrating so hard on picking my way through the debris on the path. I went looking for the advocate newspaper, because it has some Cross Country results and possibly instructions on were to meet for tomorrow’s Heritage Park Road Run.

The paper didn’t get trhough because of road closures due to flooding.

No mo

Grevillea sericea

No running motion at all today.

I haven’t run at all for two days because of the heavy rain and howling winds.